Question: How can a single person effect a positive change in the course of the world?

This question is asked on behalf of all those young(or young at heart!) entrepreneurs and idealists out there who are looking to make a positive impact on the world but aren't sure how - and I'm asking you guys because you seem to be quite a positive and intelligent bunch.

I'm sure there are many possibilities for a young person looking toward the future including being involved in politics, world aid, environmentalism, medical research, military intervention, maned exploration of space, and so forth. These sorts of things are great to be passionate about and one could throw their entire life and passion into any one of them if they wanted. However, there are a million problems in the world as well as a million solutions - each just needs enough people to care for long enough to solve them - where does a single person decide to start?

To an intelligent and realistic person it would seem that there is nothing significant that any one person could do to make a difference, all the obvious ways to help, much like a single vote, seem insignificant in the big scheme of things. Simply saying, "every little bit helps" with an encouraging pat on the back is not going to make the youngest and the brightest take up arms for any of these causes - not if they don't think they can actually make a real difference. The ones you really want to recruit aren't going to be tricked by flashy commercials and biased reporting that is aimed at the masses.

With the realization that not everyone can be an Einstein, Wernher Von Braun, or Elon Musk - what are some of your suggestions on how a young person could spend their life attempting to effect a positive change in the world on a large scale beginning with their education, career, and mission in life? What have you done?

ckpooley - Micro launchers is a very intriguing concept - something that seems like a very worthwhile endeavor that I'll have to do a lot more research into. It's relative obscurity and newness of the concept certainly makes it both scary and exciting.

idiom - I definitely agree, as the saying goes, "Lead, follow, or get the F* out of the way." It's hard to predict what will be big in the future. That is why I am looking here for some of the expertise and knowledge you guys have to help not just me, but others as well find some of those "big ideas" that we can help with.

I think you're right - I should rephrase the question.

What are some new or upcoming areas of space exploration that you see as becoming increasingly important in the future? What steps should a person take to become involved in them?

Obscurity: I have been having trouble in getting print media mention--since 1996, only one paragraph in the August Popular Mechanics, page 15. Back in the 1994-5 period twice freelance writers and one screen writer approcached me, having heard of Pacific Rocket Society and a project then ongoing (google "tired nasa wired amateurs"). The other was from an intern in journalism working at Los Angeles Times, who wrote a good article on it.

The world may have changed since then--a flood of information via Internet, and much talk re various plans for non-government space development--especially the "space tourism" of Virgin Galactic and similar may have crowded out consideration of other ideas.

I am still looking for freelance writers to pick up this story, which is very new, different from the usual.

newness: The Microlauncher idea as presented took form late 1995 after the demise of the PRS.If you google "microlaunchers" you get a long history leading back to April 1996 at the Space Access Society meeting in Phoenix then. The 1st presentation at LASFS the previous October seems not to have found its way into the Internet world.

Back then, the form of it was still to emulate the microcomputer revolution, and develop as the core to start things a 1000 pound launcher to place a 1 pound spacecraft to escape, to photograph NEOs etc, based on the design of the earlier rocket. Since then, study and design has resulted in evolution of the tech to the 100-200 kg GLOW and 100-200 gram spacecraft (being refined, reduced in mass further as available tech gets smaller)

I think this is one of those ideas whose time is coming. The present ideas for space access development are not working (and I think will not work) because they all have built in a kind of exclusivity through fairly large hardware, fixation on low Earth satellites, and overlooking that what is really needed is a cultural revolution.

The N Prize I signed up for June 6 2008 (5th entrant) is because it looks like a "lower threshold" entry point to realize the initial hardware, facilities to start. The N Prize launcher will use parts for the "ML-1" entry level launcher, and the process of getting the launch license and getting into the launch business can be facilitated by starting with a small LEO satellite, possibly even encompassing offers to launch the new 125 gram Pocket Cube, being defined by Bob Twiggs of Cubesat fame.

So the important area of space exploration is to get many interested in participating and creating a "social environment" like that which happened with the microcomputer

Monday Dec 14 a presentation at Edwards AFB went well, and might lead to ways to seek out the few who might like the idea to the point of wanting to join in this.

What steps? With wide enough publicity (in print, I think), maybe "1 in 10,000" might take a liking to the extent that he (or she of course) would want to be a part of it.

This, or any, idea is not responded to by all in lock step. In this population (US is world's 3rd most populous country) outlooks vary, and there will be some who would make the commitment.

------------------------------------OT: Maybe you could tell a little about yourself? By private communication would be good.Email to microlaunchers.com would work.

CKpooley - I appreciate the advice. A microlaunchers and microsatellites revolution would definitely be a huge step forward for space exploration - if you think that that is going to play a big part in the future then I will take your word for it. Microlaunchers seems like a pretty huge area to simply try to gain expertise in - can you give any sage advice on what you think will be needed or will be the next big thing within the microlauncher field as it grows? I guess I'm sort of looking for tips or a heads up along the lines of, "What we really need are propulsion experts - study aerospace engineering!" or "No no no -there are a million aerospace engineers out there so don't bother with that - what we will REALLY need are people with knowledge of nanotech and friction stir welding!"

2. Microlaunchers seems like a pretty huge area to simply try to gain expertise in - can you give any sage advice on what you think will be needed or will be the next big thing within the microlauncher field as it grows?

3. I guess I'm sort of looking for tips or a heads up along the lines of, "What we really need are propulsion experts - study aerospace engineering!" or "No no no -there are a million aerospace engineers out there so don't bother with that - what we will REALLY need are people with knowledge of nanotech and friction stir welding!"

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2. Actually not that huge a technology ubdertaking. Compare designing a model plane with designing a full size one. The scaling down brings automatically a scaling of complexity.

I have studied the technology, and done the basic design work to "jump start" a first version, around which a community of parallel activity might grow.

Recall how the microcomputer revolution was first in the form of just a few computer kits, boards, etc. before there were many, some of whom are still around (Apple...)

What is needed for this design is to reach a "critical mass"--enough people very interested to the extent of joining in the first effort, to take this from slides to hardware. And a starting location (Location-1 in slide 9 of http://www.microlaunchers.com/7816/L3/sa09/sa09.html )

Propulsion experts? not really--people interested in this. The complexity of the technology has been brought down to something attainable by a core group of 4 or so. The original "Spacefarer X-80" of the Wired article was a group of 4.

Nano--? not needed. The scale for this is called "meso-scale", or, "wristwatch scale" Google "sub gram rc planes" for a community building 2 channel RC planes weighing less than 1 gram (current record 225 mg). The parts are simple, "ordinary physics" handmade tiny and simple--and there are forums, growing community involved in it.

Friction stir welding" not needed. TIG welding of propellant tanks will be used--was for the irrigation tube tanks of Spacefarer. nAnd probably "micro-TIG", at a few amps might be for thin gage aluminum. That's a standard process.

So, to sum up, what's needed now is to reach a "critical mass" of interested people, funding means.

I really don't think that one person can change the world.Because our knowledge and experiences actually are sum of knowledge and experiences of many other people (teachers, colleagues, etc.),even one-man opening always will be result of many.

One person can inspire and create, craft ideas and market them. He can put pro-space stickers and cards into the public's face, make them read of the benefits of space development. One person can write articles and commentary in newspapers, or just harass local politicians and institutes. You are not alone in wishing to change the world. Yet know the only way it will possibly change, is if you do it yourself. Turn peoples eyes to the stars and all there possibilities. The World Space Organization could use your help if you seek an outlet.Want to change the world and direct societal development toward space innovation and exploration, then get out and begin to do it! Educate the masses into living consciously, of dreaming big, of achieving something great. There is alot of work trying to incite China, India, America and Europe to a cooperative mission under a World Space Organization. It is only by inciting broad public outreach that uniting National, private and public institutions of a 25 nations consortium will be possible. Stand for Moon/Mars 2020. www.worldspaceorganization.com

How can one person change the world? Simple - by workiong together with others and working their ideas into a coherent plan, rather than simply plugging their own plan all the time and deriding everyone elses.